KTVQ

KTVQ

Billings, Montana
United States
Branding Q2 (general)
Q2 News (newscasts)
Slogan Fair. Accurate. To the Point.
Channels Digital: 10 (VHF)
Virtual: 2 (PSIP)
Subchannels 2.1 CBS
2.2 CW+
2.3 Grit
Owner Cordillera Communications
(KTVQ Communications, LLC)
First air date November 9, 1953 (1953-11-09)
Former callsigns KOOK-TV (1953–1972)
Former channel number(s) 2 (VHF analog, 1953–2009)
Former affiliations DuMont (1953–1955/6)
NBC (secondary, 1953–1958, 1968–1980)
ABC (secondary, 1953–1968)
NTA (secondary, 1958–1959)
PBS (per program, 1970–1984)
Transmitter power 26.1 kW
Height 180 m (591 ft)
Facility ID 35694
Transmitter coordinates 45°46′0.9″N 108°27′28.8″W / 45.766917°N 108.458000°W / 45.766917; -108.458000
Licensing authority FCC
Public license information: Profile
CDBS
Website www.ktvq.com

KTVQ, virtual channel 2 (VHF digital channel 10), is a CBS-affiliated television station licensed to Billings, Montana, United States. The station is owned by the Cordillera Communications subsidiary of Evening Post Industries, and is part of the Montana Television Network, a statewide network of CBS-affiliated stations. KTVQ's studios are located on Third Avenue North in Billings, and its transmitter is located on Sacrifice Cliff southeast of downtown. On cable, the station is available on Charter Spectrum channel 5 in both standard and high definition.

History

The station began broadcasting on November 9, 1953, as KOOK-TV, Montana's second television station; Butte's KXLF-TV had begun in August. It was owned by Montana broadcasting pioneer Joe Sample and his Garryowen Corporation along with KOOK radio (AM 970, now KBUL). The station carried programming from all four major networks of the time—CBS, NBC, ABC and DuMont Television Network[1]—but has always been a primary CBS affiliate. It lost DuMont when that network shut down in 1956 and lost NBC when KGHL-TV (channel 8, now KULR-TV) began in 1958; between 1956 and 1961, when it closed, the station was also a NTA Film Network affiliate. The station changed its callsign to KTVQ on September 5, 1972.

In 1968, channel 2 picked up a secondary affiliation with NBC after KULR opted to take a primary affiliation with ABC. This was very unusual for a two-station market, especially one as small as Billings. It shared NBC with KULR until KOUS (channel 4, now KHMT) began in 1980.

In 1970, channel 2 picked up a secondary affiliation with PBS, mainly for Sesame Street. It was standard practice at the time for PBS to offer its programming to any interested commercial outlet in areas where no PBS station was available. Channel 2's secondary PBS affiliation lasted until Montana PBS finally started in 1984.

Sample owned the station until 1984, when he sold it to SJL Broadcasting. Evening Post bought it in 1994. The station remains the only Billings television station that has not changed its affiliation. In January 2010, KTVQ.com made the switch to a continuous news format.

Digital television

Digital channels

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Channel Video Aspect PSIP Short Name Programming[2]
2.11080i16:9KTVQ-DTMain KTVQ programming / CBS
2.2720pCW NETBillings CW
2.3480i4:3GRITGrit

In February 2009, KULR, KTVQ and two other stations in the Billings market were refused Federal Communications Commission permission to end analog broadcasts and operate as digital-only effective on the originally-scheduled February 17, 2009 date.[3]

News operation

National news comes from several sources; CBS News and AP give their nationwide and international news to the station for its local newscasts. The Northern AG Network provides farm and ranch reports during Montana This Morning and The Noon News.

References

  1. ↑ "A DuMont transmitter definitely will be operating over Channel 2 in Billings this fall tune in KOOK-TV Channel 2", Billings Gazette, p. 5, 1953-06-01
  2. ↑ RabbitEars TV Query for KTVQ
  3. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-07-21. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
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